Warning Sent to Vancouver Canucks Over Nils Hoglander's Contract Without Major Rebound
Photo credit: NHL.com
An insider recently shared that he believes the Vancouver Canucks need a big bounce back year from Swedish forward Nils Hoglander to justify his new contract.
Just months after registering a 24-goal campaign, the Vancouver Canucks gave Nils Hoglander a well-deserved pay raise, announcing just before the 2024-25 season began that they signed him to a three-year, $9 million USD ($3 million AAV) contract extension that kicks in this year.
The Canucks were hoping for another big showing from Hoglander, but he regressed a bit, with his production dropping off as he went from 24 goals the season prior to just eight in 72 games during the 2024-25 campaign, which to be fair was a difficult year for almost everyone in the organization.
Hoglander has been hard at work since the early part of Vancouver's offseason to ensure that this past season was a fluke and he'll bounce back in a big way starting in October.
Insider says Vancouver Canucks needs rebound year from Nils Hoglander to justify his contract
While it's unclear if he can get back to scoring above 20 goals for the Vancouver Canucks, the team is hoping to see a bit more consistency from him this season and hopefully finish the year in the 15-20 range.
During an appearance on Canucks Conversation recently, Patrick Johnston of The Province shared that he believes the Vancouver Canucks will want to see the Swede rebound this season in order to justify the contract they handed out to him in October 2024.
"Think about what the bet they've made on him is, right? Like the reason they signed him to this contract before last season was that obviously they expected a repeat of the season before and if he had done that, he would've been going 'I want more.' So basically he said, 'I think this is a fair thing to pay me given where I've been.' It was a smart move, I think, by him because you know, secure the bag." Johnston said.
He added, "That said, we know he likes to score. We know he likes to play and they need production from there and of course, he's not going to see a lot of power play time given who else is here and that was the great thing about him in 2023-24, right? Like no power play time and he still scored a bag of goals and won himself a contract because of that. I do not think he's going to score 20 goals playing on the third line. I also don't think he's going to score two goals in the first half of this season. It's just so inconceivable to me that's how it's going to go."
He added, "That said, we know he likes to score. We know he likes to play and they need production from there and of course, he's not going to see a lot of power play time given who else is here and that was the great thing about him in 2023-24, right? Like no power play time and he still scored a bag of goals and won himself a contract because of that. I do not think he's going to score 20 goals playing on the third line. I also don't think he's going to score two goals in the first half of this season. It's just so inconceivable to me that's how it's going to go."
With the salary cap going up on a yearly basis, by the time next season or even the season after that rolls around, Hoglander's cap hit percentage will be pretty miniscule to the point where if he becomes only a 10-15 goal player, then the Vancouver Canucks won't have to worry too much about him or the money/roster spot he's taking up.
However, if he's able to return to his form from two seasons ago and get above 20 goals, then it'll be a massive bonus for the Vancouver Canucks and could land him more minutes and more opportunities in the years to come.
Previously on CanucksDaily
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